The Making Of Modern Intellectual Property Law

One of the common themes in recent public debate has been the law's inability to accommodate the new ways of creating, distributing and replicating intellectual products. In this book the authors argue that in order to understand many of the problems currently confronting the law, it is necessary to understand its past. This is its first detailed historical account. In this book the authors explore two related themes. First, they explain why intellectual property law came to take its now familiar shape with sub-categories of patents, copyright, designs and trade marks. Secondly, the authors set out to explain how it is that the law grants property status to intangibles. In doing so they explore the rise and fall of creativity as an organising concept in intellectual property law, the mimetic nature of intellectual property law and the important role that the registration process plays in shaping intangible property.

This book is the first detailed historical account of why intellectual property law with its sub-categories of patents, copyright, designs and trade marks took the shape that it did over the course of the nineteenth century. The authors also discuss ways in which the law grants property status to intangibles.

Modern Intellectual Property Law combines coverage of each intellectual property right granted for creations of the mind into a thoughtful, unified textbook. Deconstructing the fundamental topics into short, clear sections separated by subheadings throughout, Colston and Galloway's text is the ideal student companion to this intriguing area of the law. This new edition has been completely revised to bring it up to date with the latest debate and changes to the law. All significant recent developments are covered including the continuing controversy over patents for computer-implemented inventions and biotechnological inventions, the House of Lords' developments of patent law, the ECJ jurisprudence relating to trade mark dilution and comparative advertising, as well as the database right, and international efforts to reconcile copyright with peer-to-peer file sharing. This text also discusses the ongoing effort to achieve an appropriate balance between intellectual property and competition law in order to protect market competition while retaining key incentives to drive the process of innovation. Written for students, this accessible and comprehensive textbook provides the perfect starting point for anyone studying intellectual property law in the UK.

Examining a neglected aspect of international copyright law, this book highlights the obligation on nations to maintain broad copyright exceptions.

The book is accompanied by a web site where students and lecturers alike can access updates on major developments in the law as well as pointers to the exercises contained in the text.

'Intellectual Property Law' is the definitive textbook on this subject. It clearly sets out the law in relation to copyright, patents, trade marks, passing off and confidentiality, whilst enlivening the text with illustrations and diagrams.

A unique perspective on intellectual property law. It examines the complex policies that inform and guide modern intellectual property law at the domestic (including Scottish), European and international levels, giving the reader a true insight into the discipline and the shape of things to come.